Lose \Lose\ (l[=oo]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lost (l[o^]st; 115)
p. pr. & vb. n. Losing (l[=oo]z"[i^]ng).] [OE. losien to
loose, be lost, lose, AS. losian to become loose; akin to OE.
leosen to lose, p. p. loren, lorn, AS. le['i]san, p. p. loren
(in comp.), D. verliezen, G. verlieren, Dan. forlise, Sw.
f["o]rlisa, f["o]rlora, Goth. fraliusan, also to E. loose, a
& v., L. luere to loose, Gr. ly`ein, Skr. l[=u] to cut.
[root]127. Cf. Analysis, Palsy, Solve, Forlorn,
Leasing, Loose, Loss.]
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1. To part with unintentionally or unwillingly, as by
accident, misfortune, negligence, penalty, forfeit, etc.;
to be deprived of; as, to lose money from one's purse or
pocket, or in business or gaming; to lose an arm or a leg
by amputation; to lose men in battle.
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Fair Venus wept the sad disaster
Of having lost her favorite dove. --Prior.
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2. To cease to have; to possess no longer; to suffer
diminution of; as, to lose one's relish for anything; to
lose one's health.
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If the salt hath lost his savor, wherewith shall it
be salted? --Matt. v. 13.
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3. Not to employ; to employ ineffectually; to throw away; to
waste; to squander; as, to lose a day; to lose the
benefits of instruction.
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The unhappy have but hours, and these they lose.
--Dryden.
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4. To wander from; to miss, so as not to be able to and; to
go astray from; as, to lose one's way.
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He hath lost his fellows. --Shak
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5. To ruin; to destroy; as destroy; as, the ship was lost on
the ledge.
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The woman that deliberates is lost. --Addison.
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6. To be deprived of the view of; to cease to see or know the
whereabouts of; as, he lost his companion in the crowd.
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Like following life thro' creatures you dissect,
You lose it in the moment you detect. --Pope.
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7. To fail to obtain or enjoy; to fail to gain or win; hence,
to fail to catch with the mind or senses; to miss; as, I
lost a part of what he said.
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He shall in no wise lose his reward. --Matt. x. 42.
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I fought the battle bravely which I lost,
And lost it but to Macedonians. --Dryden.
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8. To cause to part with; to deprive of. [R.]
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How should you go about to lose him a wife he loves
with so much passion? --Sir W.
Temple.
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9. To prevent from gaining or obtaining.
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O false heart! thou hadst almost betrayed me to
eternal flames, and lost me this glory. --Baxter.
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To lose ground, to fall behind; to suffer gradual loss or
disadvantage.
To lose heart, to lose courage; to become timid. "The
mutineers lost heart." --Macaulay.
To lose one's head, to be thrown off one's balance; to lose
the use of one's good sense or judgment, through fear,
anger, or other emotion.
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In the excitement of such a discovery, many scholars
lost their heads. --Whitney.
To lose one's self.
(a) To forget or mistake the bearing of surrounding
objects; as, to lose one's self in a great city.
(b) To have the perceptive and rational power temporarily
suspended; as, we lose ourselves in sleep.
To lose sight of.
(a) To cease to see; as, to lose sight of the land.
(b) To overlook; to forget; to fail to perceive; as, he
lost sight of the issue.
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